Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1887-12-15
WOMEN IN AUSTRIA.
Tho Fsmaio LsbOrcrs or Hungary and
tho Danube Provinces.

scCiuS III huStttt, hoN'NDib Wa .
woman literally harncsscd TO q cart
One often meets big work-iogs on TIT
roads of Austria, Juggling in harness
but never happened TO meet but one
woman actually harncsscd up on TIT
road. Tho woman, sturdy pcasan
Of about thirty-fivo summers. was In
boring heavily along with load o
iirc-wood faggots. while her husband
slouchcd alongside. smoking the in
cvitablc long.sicmmcd pipe. A piece
of rope was attached to ono of tho
shafts. and whenever n hill or particn
larly rough spot was encountered. Tho
man would considerably pull on tho
string. When thcy reached smooth.
level ground again, he would toss tho
rope over the "horscs' shoulder.
watched this interesting pair for some
distance TO find out whether they at-
tractcd unusual attention from other
people. Nobody seemed 10 take any
notice of them; from which inferred
that the sight was nothing uncommon
in that country. A scene that would
have brought tar and feathers. and q
slarp-edgcd fcncc-rail into requisition
in very short order IN tho United
States. was regarded in Austria rs tho
most mattcr-of-fact thing in the world.
Haymaking was going OH in those
smiling Dlnubian meadows, and / saw
the women not merely tossing and
raking the hay. but swinging tho
scythc right mcrrily, side by side with
husband. brother and father No
gentle or courteous consideration was
anywhere shown to the women. no
favors in the shape of easier or
plcasantcr tasks allotted to them. II
there was any part of the work more
like dull. grinding drudgcry, more
destitute of interest, than any other,
women and not men were doing II.
On the biz ducal estates of Hungary
saw scenes that cclipsed. if possible.
even those of Austria. Hungary is q
land of large estates and paupcr-paid
laborcrs. rather than of small propric.
.ors like France and parts of Ger
many. Instead. therefore, of women
scattered singly about little family
holdings, one sees them in large gangs
working under the supervision of over
sccrs. Nothing reminded me so much
of the popular conception of the palny
days of slavery in the Southern. States.
than these long files of Hungarian
peasant women passing through the
fields with clumsy hoes. Every won.
an was barcfootcd and wore II dress
TINT scarcely descended to tho knccs.
.ao-.as to allow the free use OF
limbs Tor Sottiags about. As they
passed slowly across tho fields, lome-
times rs many rs hundred in row,
with two or three male ovcrsccr:
watching the limo from few PAGES at
the rear. the heavy hoes rising and fall.
ing, without intcrmission. ut every
forward stride. it was difficult to inn
aginc them any thing else than gangs
of white slaves. They were free
enough, however. rs freedom goes in
these countries, and were probably
earning twelve cents n day each.
Sometimes. when not moro than n
couple of hundred yards from the road.
feminine curiosity would overcome all
sense of discipline. and the long line OF
hoc-swingcrS would break ranks and
come hcltcr-skcltcr across the field
with merry shouts TO get closer view
Of the bicycle. The ovcrsccr would
call angrily for them to come back; but
not until they had satisfied their lcsiti.
mate trait of female character, curios-
i;y, would they heed their voices.
1t is upon the women rather than
the men that the burden of Enropc's
monster armies fall so gricvously. BE.
tween the husband and brother. who
are away playing soldier, and the wife
and daughter. who are staying ut home
doing their own and the mems
work, The lesser of the two
evils is not hard to choose. II
is bad enough to do compulsory mill.
tary service; but there arc rcdccmins
features even in that. The real hard.
ship of the ARA ngcmcnt fall heaviest
OH the women. 1t is tho women toll
ing in the fields like cattle, day after
day. who nay for the millions OF
breach-loaders. the Krupp guns, tho
uniforms and the commssary sup.
pies. 1t was tho peanut women OF
France who paid the big German in.
dcmnity in 1872.
In the Orient the conditions OF
female life among the poorer classes
arc in some respects better, but in
others worse. than they are in tho
countries spoken Of The people OF
the East never hurt themselves by
overwork under any consideration.
The woman arc not called upon to
provide tie bono and sinew of every
4. anonnntinn fIpv